Aug 12, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos (8) walks off the field at the end of the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images Katie Stratman
To create room for J.T. Realmuto's return to the 40-man roster Tuesday, the Phillies designated Weston Wilson for assignment.
Phillies Nation's Destiny Lugardo speculated Monday evening that the team could rip the band-aid off now and just DFA Nick Castellanos, though that's not what ended up playing out.
Still, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed Tuesday that the Phillies still intend to find a change of scenery for Castellanos before Spring Training.
"Yes, we do. We still are planning on doing that," Dombrowski said. "And we did designate Wes for assignment today. But yes, that would be the plan."
It's become increasingly apparent this offseason that Castellanos — who was unhappy with his role, and had multiple public disagreements with manager Rob Thomson during the 2025 season — is going to be a sunk cost. He's due $20 million in the final season of a five-year/$100 million deal, and considering his minus-0.6 WAR was the worst mark among all qualified position players in 2025, teams aren't going to be lining up to take that on.
There was some thought at the beginning of the winter that perhaps a team would trade for Castellanos and take on a few million of his $20 million salary, giving the Phillies a small bit of relief. That's still possible, but even if there are clubs who view the two-time All-Star as a bounce-back candidate that could help them at first base and/or DH, they may just wait for him to be released at this point. At that stage, Castellanos would only need to be paid the minimum salary of $780,000.
In any event, don't expect to see Castellanos when the Phillies report to Spring Training next month.
